Welcome to the Baby it’s cold outside blog hop. And, oh my, that title is dead-on–at least where I live. As I write this post, the snow outside has changed from a light frosting to a heavy sheet of white.
Brrr…
Time to warm up. Here are a few of my favorite keep-out-the-cold necessities. 
Hot Chocolate…
My mother made it with cocoa powder, sugar, a dash of salt, water, and milk all mixed in a pan and cooked on top of the stove. I use a packet of instant chocolate, empty it into a mug, add some milk, and nuke that bad boy until it’s hot and the marshmallows are melted goo.
Hot Fire…
I never get tired of watching a fire or smelling wood smoke. And my gosh the joy of coming in from outside and warming your backside and then your front, turning in front of the flames like a wiener on a stick. But nothing warms me up faster than the next… 
Hot Love.
And of course, if it’s a cowboy you’d like to curl up with in front of a fire, you might want to try a little Eclipse Heat, my erotic western historical romance series published by Ellora’s Cave and available at most third party distros.
Breed True Excerpt: Julie rocked in the big chair that had materialized shortly after she’d arrived. She was snuggled in a blanket, staring mesmerized at the flames when she was jerked from half-sleep by pounding on the cabin door.
“Who is it?” She wasn’t going to lift the plank, unbarring the door, without knowing who stood outside.
“Let me in, Julie.”
She was enormously relieved to hear Grady’s gruff voice. When she swung open the door, he took in her nightgown, the crib in front of the fire, the rocking chair pulled up close, and he smiled. It was such an unusual expression on his face Julie smiled back. He sniffed the air, “Sure smells good in here.”
Before she could hurry to get supper for him, or pour him a cup of coffee, he pulled her into his arms. “Hmmmm,” he murmured into her hair. “You smell good enough to eat.”
Damp from his shirt and pants seeped into her nightgown as she stood in the circle of his arms. When she shivered, he pulled the blanket tighter around her and stepped back, releasing her. “Sorry. Forgot I was all wet.”
Unexpected feelings of tenderness welled up in her throat. Julie took the blanket from her shoulders and wrapped it around his. “I don’t want you getting sick. You work too hard and don’t take care of yourself.” When she would have stepped away again, he pulled her close inside the cocoon of the blanket. “You should get out of those wet clothes,” she whispered, trembling, but not from cold.
“I think you need to get out of that damp nightgown too,” he murmured, walking toward the fire without releasing her. He stopped by the crib where Amy snored softly at one end and Emma smiled in her dreams at the other.
She grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. He untied the ribbon on her nightgown and pushed it off her shoulders to fall at their feet. And then he kissed her. His lips settled gently over hers, asking without words. She opened for him, and his tongue explored her mouth.
A moan escaped her throat as she felt the brush of his hot skin against her breasts. She liked the feel of his callused hands, thumbs circling her nipples erotically as he continued to plunder her mouth. “I want you, Julie—want me too.” He used the words that always inflamed her.
Be sure and leave a comment so you’re in the HUGE final drawing. There are some pretty amazing author give-aways and a Kindle Fire to be won. Stay warm!
There is not a cover up there that is not sexy as sin. Love some cowboys 😉 So hot!
elliott2668[at]yahoo[dot]com
Love bare chested cowboys in hats!
diamer13@yahoo.com
Enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks for the giveaway. janaleah64@yahoo.com
Love all of your books. Stay warm and out of the snow. It’s really cold here (even by Minnesota standards) and we’re getting some snow, so I’ll be curled up with a good book or ten this weekend.
thanks for the excerpt
meandi09@yahoo.com
This looks like a great series
Shannon
sabai30705 at yahoo dot com
My mom always made hot coco on the stove too… My boys however love those little packets of hot coco… Thanks for the excerpt and for being part of the hop… Stay warm and happy new year.
j.m.platt83@gmail.com
Love this series already. Thank you for doing the hop again
tigerbrock42@hotmail.com
added to my TBR for sure! thanks! 🙂
bookjunky2013@yahoo.com
WOW, just WOW!
Nice excerpt
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Yup ….. that’s a keeper. Thanks for being part of the blog hop
Nice!
Thanks for the excerpt!
Janhvi
justjanhvi at gmail dot com
Love it! That last line of the excerpt is really good!!
Another great book, thanks for sharing the excerpt… 🙂
BeckeyWhiteATgmailDOTcom
Enjoyed the excerpt .
I remember making big batches of hot cocoa mix with my grandpa.
Ah those pics are great… hot chocolate, a roaring fire, a sexy read… 😉
Hot, hot, hot!
I love hot cocoa, especially with whipped cream! A favorite around here.
Love your excerpt!!
Gem, just discovered your work and cant wait to get into it.
Your books will certainly warm a body up on a cold day!
suz2(at)cox(dot)net
yummm
Great ways to spend a cold night! My boys love the hot chocolate. I like to add a bit of Rumchata to mine. We are doing this today with our blizzard here. Lots of warm fires, hot chocolate, and making cookies.
Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
Glad you participated in the hop… can’t wait to read your books. 🙂
I really enjoyed the excerpt and that hot chocolate looked yummy!! 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway.
Happy New Year!
Have read Five Card Stud and can’t wait to read more.
deana_chapman@yahoo.com
Adding you to my ereader as soon as the blog is done. Thanks for the excerpt.